1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to the field of animal grooming apparatus and in particular to methods and apparatus for ridding animals of fleas and eggs while grooming the hair and skin of the animals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fleas on animals, such as household pets, are a significant problem. Fleas readily ingrain themselves within the hair and up against the skin of domestic animals such as dogs and cats. Once attached to domestic animals, a flea life cycle begins whereby the fleas bite the animal and draw nourishment therefrom and in due time, lay eggs at the base of the hair against the animals skin. The eggs may lie dormant for a considerable period of time or may hatch within a relatively short time such as ten days or so. Upon hatching, the eggs create new fleas which continue their life cycle and further increase the number of fleas on the animal. Needless to say, the biting by the fleas causes the animals to itch profusively for a long period of time even after the biting has occurred. The itching, of course, causes much discomfort to the animals. Such discomfort is further exacerbated if the animal is allergic to fleas which then can cause severe skin conditions such as rashes and loss or severe thinning of the animals hair.
The life cycle of fleas does not necessarily occur only on the body of an animal. For example, the life cycle can continue within the strands of a rug in a house or even in the grass outdoors. Once hatched, the fleas generated by eggs within the rug or grass simply wait for an animal to approach and then jump on the animal to further their life cycle.
Since most domestic animals at one time or another go outdoors there is a high likelihood that even an animal free of fleas will subsequently become infested with fleas due to the outdoor breeding grounds of the fleas. Considering then the diversity by which fleas may ultimately inhabit themselves upon an animals body it is very difficult if not impossible to completely rid an animal of fleas or prevent the animal from getting fleas. At best, the major weapon against fleas and the proliferation of the same is to attempt to control the environment both indoors and .outdoors where the animal may be expected to or actually frequents. Such well known flea control arrangements generally consist of chemicals applied both indoors and outdoors to attempt to kill the fleas and their eggs. It is well known however that such control arrangements are not one-hundred percent effective and sooner or later an animal will become inhabited with a number of fleas. Thus, the flea control arrangement must also include methods and apparatus to rid the animal itself of the fleas and their eggs.
One means in the prior art to rid domestic animals of fleas comprises a bathing solution or a flea soap which kills the fleas and the eggs on the body of the animal. Since an animal cannot be continuously bathed day in and day out the effect of such flea-ridding arrangement is temporary. Moreover, since the chemicals used to kill the fleas and the eggs must not be toxic to the animal especially since both dogs and cats continuously lick their various body parts for self-grooming purposes. Thus, chemical bathing arrangements to rid animals of fleas is only partially successful and for a relatively short period of time.
Still other prior art devices to rid animals of fleas comprise devices which utilize a vacuum source to suck the fleas up from the animals body and into an appropriate storage container. Many variations exist in the prior art of such vacuum assisted devices. It may be generally stated that the variations in this prior art are concerned with the head of the device which is used to pass through or over the animals hair in an attempt to reach the fleas on the animals skin at the base of the hair. Also in general, with these types of prior art devices, a vacuum motor and debris collection device are usually located away from a remote head between which is attached a flexible hose to direct the vacuumed fleas into the debris container. While somewhat effective, the vacuum type of prior art devices suffer from an inherent noise problem due to the motor and fan creating the vacuum. Most domestic animals are afraid of the vacuum noise and tend to run away as soon as the vacuum device is made known to the animal and turned on creating the vacuuming noise generated thereby. A further problem with the vacuum type of prior art devices is the amount of vacuum that is generated by the device. To great of a vacuum causes the animals skin to be sucked up against the head of the vacuum device while too little of the vacuum does not dislodge the fleas from the body of the animal and into the vacuum device.
Other variations in the vacuum type of prior art devices consist of bags or chambers whereby the fleas and the eggs are killed by a chemical within the bag or chamber.
In accordance with the above, there have been many attempts in the prior art to provide a flea-control arrangement for domestic animals. The relatively large number of prior art devices which utilize a mechanical means to rid a domestic animal of fleas and eggs is one indication of the fact that the prior art devices are not completely satisfactory for their intended purpose. It is to a mechanical type of device to rid an animal of fleas while grooming the animal to which the present invention pertains.
Accordingly, a primary goal of the present invention is to provide mechanical flea-ridding apparatus and methods for effectively removing fleas and eggs imbedded within the hair and against the skin of a domestic animal.
Another object or goal of the present invention is to provide mechanical flea-ridding apparatus and methods which does not cause panic or fear in the animal due to operation of the flea-ridding device itself.
Another object of the present invention is to provide mechanical flea-ridding apparatus and methods which grooms the animal's hair during the flea-ridding process.
Another object of the present invention is to provide mechanical flea-ridding apparatus and methods which does not use chemicals or vacuuming to perform its intended function.
Another object of the present invention is to provide mechanical flea-ridding apparatus and methods which is not bulky and easy to use by the person grooming and ridding the animal of fleas and eggs.
The above-stated objects as well as others which although not specifically stated, but are intended to be within the scope and breadth of the present invention, are accomplished by the present invention and will become apparent from the hereinafter setforth detailed description of the invention, drawings and the claims appended herewith.